Phantom
by cywscross
Summary: A month after Ace leaves on his journey, most of Dawn Island is destroyed at the hands of an unknown man. In the ensuing chaos, Luffy disappears. Three years later, a pirate made of rubber with half his face masked surfaces in Shells Town. From there, the news spread, and it catches the attention of more than one person across the seas.


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from One Piece.**

* * *

**General Warnings:** AU, language, violence, somewhat OOC!Luffy

* * *

**Summary:** A month after Ace leaves on his journey, most of Dawn Island is destroyed at the hands of an unknown man. In the ensuing chaos, Luffy disappears. Three years later, a pirate made of rubber with half his face masked surfaces in Shells Town. From there, the news spread, and it catches the attention of more than one person across the seas.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This is what happens when people start asking me if I'm thinking of writing a One Piece fic when they see all the pics I blog on tumblrT_T Couldn't get this idea out of my head so what the heck.

On the bright side, I've started working more on _C'est La Vie_ again, so that's something to look forward to.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

**1.**

_Amidst the terrified cries and dying sobs and the crackle of fire, a thready, tortured voice rose above the noise as a single tear-filled eye, narrowed in pain and grief, stared up at the looming shadow towering over him._

_"W- Why are you doing this?! We never did anything to you! And they were just innocent people!"_

_ "Ha! You can blame Red-Hair for it, kid. After we caught wind of that bastard kicking back on some island and playing nice with a brat out in East Blue, well, the higher-ups had to send someone to pay this place a visit, and lucky me, I was chosen. Even if it takes years, they'll make Red-Hair pay by taking everything away from him, even someone as insignificant as you. That shitty excuse for a pirate should never have defied them."_

_ "Don't insult Shanks! He's a million times better than you!"_

_ "Oi, oi, take a look around – your home's burning down around you and you still think so highly of him? Like I said, if it weren't for him, they would've left a backwater place like this alone. He thinks his Yonko status protects him and his, but no one gets away with disregarding the World Nobles. You seem like a fairly simple brat, so think of it this way – what I've done to your home is equal to what he's done to my bosses by defying their authority."_

_ "SHANKS WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS TO ANYONE! THIS ISN'T ANYBODY'S FAULT BUT YOURS, AND I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"_

_ "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, kid. It doesn't really matter in the end. Don't worry; I'm sure Red-Hair himself will come rushing back here once he hears of this. I'll even leave your body at least half intact as a gift for him. I'm certain he'll appreciate it."_

_ Amidst the terrified cries and dying sobs and the crackle of fire, an agonized scream pierced the smoke-filled air._

**2.**

Shanks closed his eyes for several long seconds before opening them again. The nightmare remained firmly sprawled out in front of him, taunting him with the sheer amount of devastation wrought on this part of the island.

He moved on autopilot, respectfully picking his way around the numerous dead civilians littering the ruined town. Even the forests had been burned down. Even the _mountain_ had been destroyed. The only thing left standing was Goa Kingdom in the far distance, fat lot of help they'd been for this village.

He had rushed back the moment he had gotten wind of a little island in East Blue suddenly being razed to the ground. Alarm bells had rung in his head, and his gut instinct had told him that amongst the numerous islands all across this part of the sea, it would be Dawn Island caught in whatever crossfire had taken place here. He and his men had left the Grand Line long before they'd gotten the confirmation that Shanks was, regrettably, correct.

"Shanks."

Shanks blinked and turned to the left where Benn was standing, half hidden in the shadows of a crumbling building.

It was Makino's bar, Shanks realized with a thrum of dread. He had actually been trying to leave this place for last but it looked like his feet had taken him here anyway.

"I think you should take a look in here," His first mate continued, features grimmer than ever.

Shanks heaved a sigh and steeled himself for the tragedy undoubtedly waiting for him inside as he entered the bar after Benn.

Honestly, it didn't surprise him when he caught sight of Makino's still body lying near the far wall. Benn had dropped a blanket over most of her, and her face was peaceful in death. At least she hadn't suffered.

"Sword through the chest," Benn reported, following his line of sight. "Dead in seconds."

Shanks nodded tersely, letting his gaze scan the rest of the room. There were other villagers scattered on the ground, at least half having choked to death on the smoke from the fire that he could still smell even now. All the rest had either been cut down or were burnt to an unrecognizable crisp.

"No Luffy?" Shanks asked gravely, already knowing the answer.

"No," The scowl on Benn's face deepened, and a rare, dark fury burned in his eyes. "But this was left behind."

Shanks frowned as he stepped into one of the back rooms after his first mate, and then felt his breath freeze in his lungs.

The floorboards were splattered with blood. The stench of charred skin and just the faintest trace of burning _rubber _lingered in the air.

That wasn't the worst part.

On the ground, pinned in place with a bloodied knife, was a singed straw hat, one side of the brim blackened but mostly still intact despite the blade running through the top.

In that one moment, Shanks had never hated anything more.

Because the meaning behind that hat was clear – it had been left as a message. Someone had known who that hat had belonged to – no surprise there – and had deliberately left it for the world to see. For _Shanks_ to see.

Because Luffy would never, ever willingly leave that thing behind. Shanks knew how much that boy had treasured his hat from the second he had passed it on to the kid.

It hadn't occurred to Shanks that some of the enemies he had gained might stoop to destroying an innocent village just to get one over him. On hindsight, he felt like kicking himself for that remiss. It wasn't as if he had told a lot of people either; just Rayleigh and Whitebeard and Mihawk. ...Okay, so he had told a number of people but none of them were likely to blab about it across the Grand Line. However, some of Whitebeard's pirates could've overheard and talked amongst themselves in a bar or something, and that was exactly how word spread.

Shanks' jaw tightened. He should've just kept everything to himself.

In two strides, and ignoring the dried crimson smears under his boots, Shanks strode forward, wrenched the knife out of the ground, and scooped up the straw hat. He stared silently at it for a long while before shifting his gaze over to the knife.

It wasn't anything special, just a normal knife with no clue as to who it might've belonged to. Silver and sharp, Shanks caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the metal peeking out from behind the bloodstains (_Luffy's blood;_ he tried not to think about that).

His mouth tilted down. Without a word, he pocketed it.

Turning on his heel, he locked eyes with his first mate. Benn didn't seem at all surprised by his actions, expression as impassive as ever.

"Spread out," Shanks ordered without beating around the bush. He hadn't joked once since Yasopp had spotted Foosha. Or what was left of it anyway. "We'll search this entire island if we have to, top to bottom. Luffy's not dead until I have a body!"

Ignoring the fact that he had just, rather unfairly, snapped at Benn, Shanks stalked out the door and back outside.

Later, after he had torn what was left of this island apart, he'd come back to see about building a funeral pyre. It was a miracle that the Marines weren't all over this already what with who Luffy's granddad was, but Garp was in Marineford last Shanks had checked, and would be at least several days behind them. The man wouldn't want anyone else handling this disaster, and Sengoku would probably humour him and keep all the other squadrons away. Shanks had plenty of time before the Navy descended.

Not to mention that if there was one thing Goa was famous for, it was the utter corruption that the place was steeped in. The nobles who lived there, from children to adults, and even the Marines and Celestial Dragons who visited were ugly to their very core. They wouldn't want news of half the island being wiped out getting out before they could paint a better picture and put themselves in a good light.

Shanks paused once he had rounded a corner and was out of sight of his crew. The skies overhead had been getting darker and darker and a light drizzle had finally broken out.

With another sigh, he leaned his weight against the remaining wall of a nearby establishment. For some reason, he suddenly felt older than he'd ever felt before. He'd suffered loss many times, but Luffy had been…

Shanks had messed up. Sure, he was friendly to everyone, and he liked most people he met well enough, but Luffy had been different – Shanks had let the kid worm his way into his heart and stay there. Luffy hadn't even been part of his crew (except he sort of had).

Hell, Shanks had stuck around on this tiny island in _East Blue_ for over a year just for the brat, enough said, and none of his crew had complained either. They'd all been just as thoroughly charmed by Luffy as he'd been.

And damn, he'd been waiting forever for Luffy to join him on the ocean, to start his own journey as a pirate, to fulfill his dream and become the Pirate King.

And he still would, Shanks decided firmly as he got to his feet again, tucking the straw hat away inside his cape as he headed for the village border up ahead. Luffy could've escaped; the brat was resourceful like that, not to mention he had the luck of seventeen devils.

He resolutely ignored the very real possibility that Luffy could've been any one of the charred remains and unidentifiable corpses back in the bar.

**3.**

Ace had gotten there first.

That had been no surprise seeing as he had still been wandering around East Blue and looking to assemble a crew when whispers of the destruction of a tiny village near Goa had reached his ears.

Ace had dropped everything at once and rushed home even without getting his hands on a newspaper (the reports might not even be out yet; rumours spread faster than facts after all). He had prayed to every deity he'd never believed in for the safety of his little brother. He had remembered to add Dadan and Makino and the bandits and the villagers to the list only after wishing for Luffy's continued wellbeing several hundred times over.

And he had known, even before he'd gotten within range of Foosha and seen the damage, that it was all in vain.

The place was still burning when Ace had touched land, and he hadn't even waited for his boat to bump against the shore before he had leapt out and waded through the shallows, almost tripping in his haste.

He'd torn through the village, stopping for a mere three seconds in front of Makino's body to close her eyes and push his own sorrow aside before moving on. He'd barely given the straw hat pinned to the wooden floor of Makino's bar more than a cursory glance (_A message; someone left it as a message, a warning, a threat, a crow of triumph._) before he had flown on, ducking into every decrepit building he had laid eyes on and hollering Luffy's name without pause for breath.

And when it had become clear that Luffy wasn't in the village, Ace had stormed the forest ruins instead. The place had once been like a giant playground for him and Luffy and Sabo. It was nothing but a pile of broken and burning wood and rock, almost all the greenery having turned to ash.

Ace had gone to all their old haunts. If Luffy had managed to escape, the knucklehead, while reckless and downright stupid at times, still would've at least had the sense to head to someplace safe (_or he could've tried going after whoever killed all the villagers and bandits_, a voice in Ace's head reminded him unhelpfully). As kids, they had found plenty of hideouts, some of them underground that would've been at least somewhat protected from the devastating flames.

Sprawled amongst the wreckage though, Ace had found the various bodies of the Dadan Family, Dadan herself clutching her axe and seeming to have been in the process of fighting someone before she had been cut down. Needless to say, Dadan's house had been reduced to rubble.

Ace had told himself that he couldn't cry yet. Not until he had found Luffy.

He still found himself half-blinded by tears three seconds later as he continued shouting for his brother.

Hours later, he was slumped at the base of their once-tree-fort, now no more than a sooty clump of dead wood.

His hands were bleeding, and his fingernails were torn, having spent who knew how long digging through the debris. He'd finally stopped screaming Luffy's name, throat raw and hoarse but nowhere near as painful as the torment that twisted his heart.

How could this have happened? He'd left only a month ago; _a month_! Luffy was a trouble magnet but he was supposed to be safe here. Nobody in Goa would've had the guts to do something as large-scale as this so it couldn't have been the nobles, even if he and Luffy had been stealing from them for years.

He slammed a fist against the ground, ignoring the splinters that dug into his skin. He hardly even felt them.

"Luffy…" He choked out, and found that yes, even after hours of on-and-off tears, the terror and fury and grief could still cause him to cry.

And once he'd started, it felt like he couldn't stop.

"Luffy, Luffy, Luffy…" He sobbed out, body convulsing with the force of his anguish.

It wasn't fair. Hadn't losing Sabo been enough? And he, Ace, as Luffy's older brother, should've been here to protect Luffy! Hadn't he promised? What kind of older brother allowed their younger brother to handle someone who could wipe out half an island on their own?

Oh god, Luffy must've been scared. The idiot could be fearless but he was also a crybaby, only fourteen, and there had been so much blood in that room with the hat. Ace hadn't known Luffy could bleed that much.

His breath hitched when he felt more than heard someone approaching, and he quickly scrubbed an arm over his eyes as he staggered back to his feet.

Maybe it was the attacker.

Ace unsheathed his knife. He damn well hoped it was the attacker. He'd kill them if it was the last thing he did, for taking _his brother_ away.

A figure stepped into his line of sight, and it took maybe half a second for Ace to place the man.

Red hair. Three scars over his left eye. Black cape draped over his shoulders.

Red-Haired Shanks. Ace would know the guy anywhere, even if he hadn't seen any wanted posters of the pirate. How many hours had he spent listening to Luffy regale him with stories of this Yonko? His little brother had idolized this man, and Ace himself had wanted to meet Shanks, but-

But not under these circumstances.

In the space of one heartbeat and the next, Ace thought of the mass destruction of his hometown and Luffy (_deadhecan'tbedeadbutIcan'tfindhim_) and the straw hat, a message, a warning, a threat, a crow of triumph, for _Shanks_.

And Ace didn't care if his reasoning was illogical or stupid or completely wrong; this had _something_ to do with Shanks and that was good enough for him. He needed someone to blame, and if attacking a Yonko was suicidal, then so be it. Ace _deserved_ to die after letting Luffy d-

Ace hurtled forward, noting the slight surprise that widened the older pirate's eyes but paying it no mind as he released an anger-fueled battle cry and slashed downwards with his knife.

It missed, of course, but he didn't care, only gritting his teeth and twisting around to launch another attack.

"Hey, hey!" Shanks ducked out of the way again with irritating ease as he held up one hand in a placating gesture. "Is something wrong? I'm sure we can talk over whatever seems to be troubling you."

Was something wrong? _Troubling_ him?

A bitter half-laugh tripped out of his mouth as Ace lunged at Shanks again. The _nerve_ of this bastard. Was the man _blind_? One look around was all you needed to see that _everything_ was wrong!

"You _bastard_!" Ace snarled, hating the fact that tears were blurring his eyesight again. Fuck, this was no time to cry. "This has something to do with you! What the hell did you do?! Luffy _loved_ you! He could never stop talking about you! Every single week, it was Shanks this and Shanks that, and then you go and- and bring down one of your enemies on him?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Shanks had skidded to a halt the second Ace had brought Luffy into his rant, his scarred features becoming unnaturally still.

Ace barred his teeth. All the better for him.

He charged at the man again, vision red with murderous rage as his knife thrust forward-

And he stopped.

His wrist instinctively adjusted the angle of the strike so that it missed Shanks and sliced through the Yonko's cape instead.

For a long minute, all Ace could hear was the rasp of his breath and the pounding beat of his heart and the roar of blood in his ears as his gaze remained glued on where Shanks' left arm should've been.

"_Shanks saved me from the Lord of the Coast, Ace!"_

"_Yeah, yeah, you've already told me a hundred times. Shut up already! I wanna sleep!"_

"_And he lost his left arm to save me! I owe him a lot!"_

"_You've said that too! I already know all this stuff! I even said I'd thank him for saving you. Now shut up; it's almost midnight."_

"_That's one of the reasons I'm gonna become the Pirate King! I'm gonna become a great pirate one day and return this hat to Shanks! I hope he'll be real proud of me when that time comes!"_

"_Tch, man, Shanks really means a lot to you, huh?"_

"_Yeah! He's as important to me as you are! Which means, Ace, you better not pick any fights with him when you meet him! I'll have to beat you up if you lay a finger on him!"_

"_Hah! You beat me up? Yeah, right! And why would a Yonko need some little brat who can't even throw a proper punch to protect him?"_

"_I can too throw a punch! Just watch! One day, I'm gonna be stronger than you! I'll even be stronger than Shanks! And then I'll be able to kick both your asses if you try to fight each other!"_

The knife slid from Ace's suddenly loose grip, hitting the forest floor with a muffled thud. He stumbled back and almost fell on his ass as he retreated. His hands shook as his anger drained, leaving only exhausted heartache behind as Luffy's childish voice echoed in his head.

A thick, stilted silence filled the clearing as Ace stared miserably at his feet. He had been so damn happy to be able to finally start his life as a pirate, and then this had to happen. He had even made Luffy promise not to follow him out onto the sea for another three years, to wait until the idiot was seventeen before setting out himself, just so he'd at least be a legal adult and as old as Ace had been by the time he started his own adventure.

Fat lot of good that had been. Heck, Luffy probably would've been safer if Ace had taken him along.

"You…"

Ace dragged his gaze up, staring apathetically at the man in front of him.

Shanks cocked his head, eyes intent. "You know Luffy?"

Ace swallowed hard and struggled to draw himself up. To think, he had once wanted to make a good first impression when he finally met Luffy's hero. _That_ plan had certainly been shot to hell.

"I'm Ace, his brother," Ace croaked out, and he almost didn't recognize his own voice when it came out dead and lost. "His older brother."

Shanks nodded, looking like he had already come to this conclusion himself. His attention slid to Ace's knife currently embedded in the ground.

"I ain't sorry I attacked you," Ace muttered, bending down to retrieve his knife. "'Cause I know this has something to do with you. But Luffy- Luffy always said he'd kick my ass if I laid a finger on you, that damn brat. Wouldn't want to- to see his pathetic attempt at trying to land a hit on me when I- when I find him."

Determinedly _not_ looking at Shanks, Ace scanned his surroundings again. Luffy wasn't here, or Ace would've already found him. His brother wouldn't have gone to Goa to hole up there either because the chances of anyone offering to hide him were below nil.

So, either Luffy had fled, or whoever had attacked him had… abducted him. Or he was dead.

Ace mentally slapped himself. He couldn't think like that. Luffy was as slippery as an eel when he wanted to get away from someone; surely, _surely_, he would've gotten away?

And if he had, then maybe, just maybe, he might've left a message for Ace.

Lurching forward, Ace began kicking at the undergrowth wilting at the bottom of their tree fort. Scraping away dead leaves and broken branches, Ace reached down and fumbled for the latch hidden from any prying eyes.

A panel swung open, and Ace held his breath as he peered inside the hollowed out space, clinging desperately to his dying hope as he felt around for a note that might give him a hint of Luffy's whereabouts.

There was nothing.

His shoulders sagged as his forehead thumped against tree bark. Helpless rage welled up inside him again and he smashed a fist against the fake wooden door. The thing shattered under his blow.

"Shit," He grounded out, levering himself back to his feet. "Where are you, Luffy?!"

"I take it you've searched this area?" Shanks interjected, still standing a polite distance away as if he didn't want to rile Ace up in any way. "Is there a possibility that you could've missed him?"

Ace glowered at him. "This was practically our backyard when we were kids. Luffy and I both know this place upside-down. He's not here."

"Okay," Shanks glanced to the left. "What about Goa?"

Ace was mildly taken aback at the point-blank acceptance of his answer but made sure not to let it show. "He wouldn't go there. Even if those nobles would get off their asses to help someone, hell would freeze over before they'd ever help Luffy. Or me."

When Shanks raised a questioning eyebrow, Ace found himself blurting out, "We used to steal from them – gold, jewelry, anything of value. We screwed up some of the goods they were shipping in and basically undermined them as much as we could. Our faces are too well known down there; none of them would lift a finger to help us."

For a second, Shanks almost looked like he wanted to burst out laughing at their audacity, probably would've if Luffy wasn't missing and probably-

Ace cut that thought off. He couldn't afford to think like that. As it was, he already felt like throwing up every time his mind wandered into dangerous territory like _Luffy must've been terrified_ and _the idiot better not have gone back and confronted the bastard who did all this_ and especially _I should've been here to protect him_.

"We should look anyway," Shanks said lightly. "If Luffy escaped-"

"He did!" Ace bit out angrily.

"-then he might've tried to hide in a more populated area," Shanks continued, unaffected by the interruption. "If whoever was after him chased him that far, Luffy might've even fled the island altogether. There are many possibilities; just because he isn't here doesn't mean he's dead."

The Yonko was actually trying to comfort him, Ace realized as he stared back at the even gaze that Shanks had levelled on him.

He was torn between being immensely grateful and immensely pissed off.

He settled for stomping away in the direction of Goa. So help him, if any of those nobles had done anything bad to Luffy, he'd slaughter every single one of them.

Focused as he was, it took about two minutes for Ace to comprehend that Shanks was following him, footsteps almost silent as the older pirate trailed after him.

He bit back the nasty insult at the tip of his tongue. It wouldn't help anyone, and the assistance of a Yonko would see Luffy found that much faster if his brother was indeed staying low in Goa.

(And later, when, hopefully, his head had cooled to some degree, he could interrogate Shanks about this entire situation. If the man spouted some bullshit excuse, Ace wouldn't hesitate to gut the bastard, Luffy's moronic warning or no.)

Not stopping in his slightly unsteady gait, Ace glanced back over his shoulder, eyes immediately drawn to the missing limb.

"Luffy told you about this?"

His gaze snapped up. Despite the situation, there was a slight smile on the Yonko's face.

Ace scoffed, turning away. "Yeah, about a million times. He never shuts up about you. If I'd let him, he could've talked about you all day and night. He never got tired of it either. When he finished telling me all the stories he had of you, he'd just repeat them all over again."

He paused, steps slowing for a moment. He didn't bother turning around as his jaw worked silently for several seconds, Makino's lessons on manners temporarily forgotten, but who could blame him? "...I always meant to find you one day after I left this place so I could thank you for taking care of Luffy and saving him from that Sea King. So... thank you. I appreciate it."

He had promised he would thank the Yonko, and no matter what happened, Ace _was_ thankful that Shanks had protected Luffy from the Lord of the Coast all those years ago.

"Well, I couldn't really do anything less for Anchor."

Ace could hear the fondness in Shanks' voice without even having to turn around.

"But I had no idea he has a brother," The Yonko remarked.

Ace scowled. "We hadn't met yet back then. We're not related by blood; I'm adopted." He glanced sharply at Shanks again. "But we're related in everything that matters."

Shanks only inclined his head, something like approval edging his smile. Ace's scowl deepened and he picked up his pace again.

There was no time to waste. If Luffy was still here, he could be critically injured. He had wasted enough time travelling back here.

_Please, Luffy. Please be safe._

**4.**

They didn't find him.

Shanks hadn't been in the mood to humour the haughty arrogance of the nobles in Goa so he'd blasted them all with a wave of Haki, not enough to make them keel over but enough to make them realize just who they were dealing with.

He and Ace – the kid had looked closer and closer to falling to pieces with each passing minute – had searched every nook and cranny of the city. His crew had eventually joined him, even going so far as to storm the royal palace, scaring the crap out of all its residents in the process.

(Shanks was fairly certain that Luffy _wouldn't_ hide out in the palace, and that his crew knew it but had sacked the place anyway to relieve some of their aggravation towards the nobles, who all apparently thought pirates were deaf and couldn't hear them whispering gleefully about the destruction of 'that dirty little village'.)

"Boss," Roo sidled up to him, his usual rack of meat nowhere in sight. "We've counted the ships and boats. None of 'em are missing."

Shanks mentally cursed, idly twirling the straw hat in one hand. "You sure the lists were complete?"

Roo's eyes glinted behind his goggles. "Definitely. The harbour manager was very cooperative after Benn had a chat with him."

"Boss!"

Shanks craned his head around to face Yasopp, who was hurrying towards him. "What is it now? Did you find Luffy?"

Yasopp shook his head, a grimace etched on his face. "No, but Luffy's brother's gone down to the Gray Terminal by himself. Kid's already a wreck as it is; he should've stopped for a rest hours ago! Do you want some of us to go after him?"

Shanks frowned and shook his head. "No, I'll go. Keep searching by the docks. And question every single person in this city if you have to. Maybe they've seen something."

Yasopp and Roo both nodded and ambled away, and the last Shanks saw of them before he strode out of sight was the former snagging the nearest noble by the collar as the latter pulled out his flintlock and aimed it at the gibbering mess of a man.

Now Shanks was usually against threatening civilians, but this was an emergency, not to mention he was disliking these people more and more every time he clapped eyes on them, so he figured he could be forgiven for turning a blind eye to his crew's moderately violent methods. So long as nobody was killed, well, he _was_ a pirate after all. If he'd wanted to be an upstanding citizen, he'd have become a Marine.

So Shanks made his way down to the Gray Terminal instead, not really needing to search for more than a minute or so before he spotted Ace shoving desperately at the piles of junk and garbage and – were those bodies? – and all the while yelling his brother's name.

Shanks stopped a few feet away, glancing down at the straw hat again. Indirectly, this _was_ his fault, and Ace had every right to be angry at him. The kid had stopped his assault earlier though, and he'd even ended up thanking Shanks.

"LUFFY! LUFFY! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, ANSWER!"

Shanks sighed. It was actually painful watching Ace fall apart. The kid clearly loved Luffy very much.

"Ace," Shanks cut in quietly, moving forward to lay a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. "Take a break, or you'll collapse. I'll take over here-"

His hand was slapped away as Ace rounded on him.

"You're telling me to stop looking for him?!" The kid raged. "He's _my_ brother! I'm responsible for him! He's only _fourteen_! I told him, _told_ him to wait another three years before setting out on his own, that he had to stay here where it's _safe_ so he can get even stronger first! And look where that's gotten hi-!"

Calmly, Shanks caught the boy as he slumped forward, already unconscious from the shock of Haki that Shanks had sent into Ace's system.

"And what good do you think you'll be to him if you run yourself into the ground?" Shanks murmured rhetorically as he laid the boy down, shucking off his cape and bundling it under Ace's head as a makeshift pillow.

Straightening, his gaze slanted to the right even as he automatically plastered on a carefree grin. "Hello there. I don't suppose you've seen a kid around these parts? Black hair, scar under one eye? Maybe injured?"

The scruffy-looking man eyed him suspiciously from behind a mountain of odds and ends. He didn't step out, but at least he didn't run away or try to attack either.

"Not many kids in these parts," The man finally mumbled, eyes flicking briefly down to Ace. "...Ain't that the Ace boy? 'aven't seen 'im in a while. 'is li'l bro's not been aroun' either, if that's who yur talkin' 'bout. 'eard 'is town's been burned down, 'long wit' the forest. Sorry ta 'ear that."

Shanks' eyebrows had been rising with every word. The guy was surprisingly decent. At the very least, Shanks already liked him about ten times more than he liked all the nobles put together.

He smiled, inwardly disappointed but nodding in acknowledgement anyway. "Thanks, I appreciate your help. Mind if I look around a bit?"

He'd be looking around either way but there was no reason to be impolite.

The man shrugged, already moving away. "Suit yurself. Some won't take too kindly to you pokin' aroun' though."

Shanks nodded once more before scanning his surroundings. More people had gathered now, some studying his weapons with greedy eyes and all watching him warily. He didn't exactly want to leave Ace alone and undefended with these people around.

"Shanks, want me to get rid of them?" Benn leapt down from a pile of rubbish, rifle casually balanced against one shoulder.

Shanks waved a hand. "No need. Just keep an eye on Ace here while I poke around a bit."

Benn nodded, features stern as he raised his rifle menacingly in the direction of one man skulking near them. It sent the guy scuttling hastily out of sight again.

Shanks let him have his fun. Every member of his crew needed an outlet; Luffy had been important to all of them – the little brat with a big dream, semi-raised by the Red Hair Pirates.

And now missing.

But it didn't matter whether or not Shanks found him today. He absolutely refused to believe that Luffy was anything but alive until someone brought him a body to confirm it.

And if that meant searching every single ocean across the Blue Sea, then so be it.

**5.**

_"Garp-chuujou! The fleet admiral sent me, sir! Your hometown, Foosha Village, has been burned to the ground!"_

Five days later, those words still echoed in his mind, and they just wouldn't_ shut up_.

Garp had frozen in place for all of two heartbeats before he had vaulted over his desk and charged out of his office, seizing the reports that the officer had had in his hands on his way out the door before bellowing for his men to get his ship ready within the next two minutes or heads would roll.

He hadn't even remembered to at least drop a word to Sengoku that he was leaving Marineford. He doubted he would've done anything different even if he _had_ remembered.

So it was probably lucky that Sengoku knew him well enough that the man had already been waiting for him at the docks by the time Garp had stormed down there. He'd barely given half a glance to the admiral standing beside Sengoku as he'd leapt straight onto his ship, his men scurrying across the deck as they prepared to leave.

_"Take Aokiji with you,"_ Sengoku had ordered as the man in question had hopped onto the ship a few steps behind Garp. _"Be careful, Garp. This could be construed as an indirect attack towards you, though I have no idea how information about your grandson living there managed to get out."_

Garp had grunted, mind already miles away. If only there was a way to jump from the Grand Line all the way back to East Blue. But there wasn't, and traversing across the Calm Belt would have to do.

Still, even with the ship moving at top speed, it would still take several days to get home, and Garp was currently pacing the deck and mentally picturing his hands ripping apart whoever had dared to raze Foosha to the ground. It was the only thing keeping his sanity intact.

Luffy should've been safe there. Having his home destroyed (the papers that he'd gone through had reported mass destruction of the bordering forest and mountain areas) was _not_ safe.

And there was Ace too. He knew the boy could be fanatically protective of Luffy, so perhaps they had both managed to escape?

"How much longer until we get there?!" Garp hollered for a lack of anything better to do. It was the twelfth time he had asked in the past three hours, but he couldn't help it.

"It's going to take another day and a half, sir!" Someone shouted back, sounding apologetic. "We're already pushing the speed as much as we can!"

Garp grumbled wordlessly, and then twitched in growing frustration when a Sea King suddenly reared up in front of them, sending his officers running for their weapons.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Garp roared, snagging a cannonball from a nearby stockpile and taking three swift strides forward before leaping up onto the railing. "GET LOST!"

He hurled the cannonball straight at the Sea King, landing a direct strike on the creature and literally yanking it clean out of the water as it flew backwards with the force of the blow.

"AND IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, DON'T COME BACK!" Garp barked after it as it sunk back into the water, clearly unconscious.

He rounded on his shocked men next. "Well what are you waiting for? Full steam ahead!"

"Yes, sir!"

Garp exhaled heavily, stepping off the railing again as he made his way back down to the lower deck.

His day had gone from laughing over the latest prank that some of his more mischievous subordinates had pulled on him to... _this_.

Luffy could be dead or critically injured. Ace could be the same. There were also the villagers and the bandits to consider – what had become of them?

And worst of all, Garp didn't even know who he had to blame. Pirate scum? Bounty hunters with a vendetta? Hardcore mountain bandits?

And if this was an attack on Garp himself by taking out two-thirds of the only family he had, then it begged the question of who had let the secret slip in the first place. Other than himself, only Sengoku and Whitebeard knew of Ace and his connection to Roger, neither of whom were likely to parade the fact out in the open. As for Luffy being his grandson and where the boy was residing, only Sengoku and the three current admirals knew.

Garp knew he often pushed Sengoku to the brink of homicide with his crazy antics (the guy was just too serious all the time though; it was his job to bring a little fun into Sengoku's life), but they were also close friends, had been for a hell of a long time, and Sengoku would never betray him like this. God knew the man was all for getting rid of anyone related to piracy and already highly disapproved of Garp harbouring Ace and giving the boy a chance to grow up, but nevertheless, the fleet admiral had refrained from selling him out to the higher-ups or taking action himself. If that wasn't personal loyalty to a friend, he didn't know what was.

Garp sighed, and then cast a critical eye to his left where his fellow Marine was currently lazing on a deck chair, sleep mask covering his eyes.

Short of an emergency in which the admiral's own morals were compromised, Kuzan would most likely never betray him either. The guy just wasn't the type to hurt innocent people, and he owed Garp a favour from way back when, not to mention that the ice-wielder was just too damn lazy to go to the effort of deliberately razing half an island to the ground.

Borsalino... probably wouldn't. All things considered, the two of them weren't even close enough to _have_ grudges against each other, and the admiral was entirely too laidback to destroy a town without specific orders.

Sakazuki... well, if the man had gotten wind of _Ace_ being there, then yeah, it was wholly possible. Akainu's crap version of Absolute Justice sometimes made even Garp want to wring the admiral's neck. Sakazuki had never had any respect for Garp because of who he was related to, and the feeling was mutual.

Still, Sakazuki followed Sengoku's instructions, and Sengoku would never order this.

So if no one had leaked anything, then what did that leave?

Obviously, it could always be some random pirate trash who decided that they wanted to show their power by sacking a village, but it was too much of a coincidence, and it wasn't exactly a secret that Garp's hometown was Foosha. No measly pirate who had to resort to hurting innocent civilians to make themselves feel powerful would want Garp on their ass.

So who else could Garp point a finger at?

Dadan might be – might've been; she could be dead right now, goddamnit – a mountain bandit but the woman was a softie at heart, especially when it came to kids, and doubly so when it came to Luffy and Ace. Neither she nor her band of criminals would instigate anything that might put either of his kids in harm's way.

There was no one in Foosha who would or could cause any real damage to anybody; the place was as backwater and sleepy as it could get, and the town loved Luffy, even with all his obsessive I'm-going-to-be-a-pirate talk-

Garp stopped.

Wait a minute.

"_Red-Hair_," He growled, voice dangerously soft as he halted mid-step, one foot still in the air.

Two feet away, Kuzan probably sensed something because he actually stirred himself from his nap and lifted his mask, gaze instantly drawn to Garp rapidly darkening features.

Garp ignored him. He had bigger things on his mind.

Oh, he knew all about Red-Haired Shanks. Luffy could barely keep a secret when his life depended on it, much less when it didn't, and the little brat had told him all about his damn hero the second Garp had returned home for a visit. Unfortunately, Garp had missed Red-Hair's year-long vacation in Foosha, or he would've introduced his fist to the pirate's face, Yonko or no. Garp had been trying to turn Luffy into a Marine, for heaven's sakes! He didn't need a whole pirate crew pushing the boy in the opposite direction!

But it would make sense if one of Red-Hair's enemies had somehow gotten wind of Luffy and decided to risk the Yonko's wrath by hunting the boy down.

And if that was true, Garp was going to have his work cut out for him. Lucky for Red-Hair, obliterating the Red Hair Pirates would have to come second on Garp's shit list in favour of annihilating the direct assailant.

Either way, somebody was going to pay and pay dearly if Garp had anything to say about it.

**6.**

"Do you know who did this?"

Shanks lifted his head from where it had been resting against an open palm. He glanced over to where Ace was sitting, hunched up and desolate, posture screaming defeat.

After the kid had woken up yesterday, Shanks had been screeched at for knocking Ace out, and then for not finding Luffy, and then for not looking harder, and then for wasting Ace's time, and then... well, the list went on. The tirade had lasted for a good forty minutes, but Shanks understood that the boy had probably just lost someone he considered to be the most important person in the world to him, and he clearly needed somebody to vent on.

But Ace had fallen silent after his diatribe, throwing himself back into the search instead with a desperation that bordered on insane. More and more, Ace had looked like he wanted to throw himself off the nearest cliff and the only thing stopping him was that Luffy – dead or alive – still hadn't been found yet.

Shanks kept a close eye on the boy anyway. Last thing anybody needed was for the death toll to rise. It was high enough as it was.

"No," Shanks replied without beating around the bush. Even he was tired; they'd spent the past two days and nights looking under every rock, inside every building, and shaking down every breathing person they had come across.

To no avail.

Now, they were currently sitting outside a cafe. The employees inside kept nervously to themselves. Most of Goa did; the place had virtually become a ghost town ever since Shanks and his crew had invaded the place. Everyone stayed indoors or out of sight as much as possible, keeping their heads down and out of the pirates' way.

This suited Shanks fine. It was easier to keep track of all the residents when they weren't bustling through the streets.

"But it has something to do with you," Ace persisted. "Jiji's an idiot but he'd never endanger us by telling someone he doesn't trust where we are. Dadan- Dadan and the other bandits treated me and Luffy like family. The villagers all adored Luffy. The nobles living here are too lazy and stupid and weak to pull off destruction on this scale. That really only leaves you."

Shanks arched an eyebrow at the boy. Ace was certainly sharper than Luffy, though to be fair, Anchor had just been seven all those years ago.

And when facing an overprotective big brother, Shanks figured that honesty was the best policy.

"I told a few people about Anchor," Shanks dropped his chin back into his hand. "Three people, and two of them don't know Luffy by name."

"And the third?" Ace was glowering at him again.

"He wouldn't tell anyone else," Shanks said shortly. "Ever heard of Dark King Rayleigh?"

Ace's expression flattened as recognition flickered in his eyes. "Yeah. First mate to... Roger."

Shanks glanced at the young pirate. There was a puzzlingly large amount of dislike twisting the kid's features. "Have you met Rayleigh-san?"

"No," Ace responded shortly. "I only know the name. I'm sure he's a decent guy."

Shanks studied the teen for a long moment, only looking away again when Ace began to squirm a little. If the kid didn't have a problem with Rayleigh, then he must have a problem with Roger. Shanks couldn't imagine what was so wrong with his old captain to put that look on Ace's face.

"And why would you tell him anyway?" Ace bristled, tone of voice becoming aggressive as his fiery temper surfaced again.

Shanks stiffened, and then glanced sharply at the young pirate again. For a fraction of a second, Ace's complexion darkened, frame broadening and growing taller, and a familiar moustached face flashed across Shanks' vision.

He blinked, and the mental image of his long-dead captain melted away, replaced by Ace's increasingly annoyed features once more.

Come to think of it, Ace looked awfully like Roger back when Shanks had first joined the Roger Pirates, before Roger had grown that mustache of his.

And hadn't there been rumours flying around of some lady that Roger had been seeing in South Blue? They had docked at one of the islands, Baterilla, more than once, though his former captain had always warned them from causing havoc in that town and drawing any attention to the place. The crew had always been required to either stay on the ship or, if they wanted to spend some time on land, skip to the next island to do their partying. They had never been allowed to even chance endangering Baterilla in any way.

"Oi! I'm talking to-"

Shanks actually jumped and did a double-take when Ace abruptly listed forward, head clunking against the table between them.

For a few seconds, Shanks' mind blanked, nothing but _what the hell?!_ ringing in his head.

"Oh, is he finally getting some rest, Boss, or did you have to knock him out again?" Roo enquired as he strolled up, dusty and looking somewhat tired himself.

Shanks leapt to his feet, frantically flapping his hand in the air before reaching out to shake Roo. "Ace just fell over! He was talking a moment ago! What do we do?!"

"Don't panic!" Roo looked mildly exasperated even as Benn wandered over, cigarette between his teeth as he glanced between the three of them with raised eyebrows. "I'm sure he's fine. Benn, can you check for a pulse?"

Benn sighed but indulged them. "He's clearly breathing, Shanks. See? He's got a pulse. He probably just conked out from exhausting himself."

"Oh, well then," Shanks calmed down, and then offered a sheepish grin. "Whoops."

Roo just chuckled and whipped a rack of meat out of nowhere as he took a seat in an empty chair. Benn shook his head and took a seat as well, idly pulling out the last free chair.

They were silent for a long while. The shock and dread and helpless anger that had fuelled their search thus far had slowly faded. They were still worried, more than worried, but the fervor that had put Roo off eating and made Benn smoke cigarettes like they were going out of style and had every member of Shanks' crew running around in a frenzy had dwindled away. Even Yasopp had been subdued; none of them had heard a single story about his son for an entire record-breaking two days.

"...Luffy's not here," Benn was the first to break the silence, frank and to-the-point as always.

Roo's paused mid-chew. Shanks frowned at the shop across the street, not really seeing it.

"If he is, he's dead," Benn continued bluntly, voice contained and emotionless.

Shanks' hand tightened around the brim of the straw hat still tucked inside his cape. He said nothing.

"The Marines will be here soon," His first mate carried on relentlessly. "Only reason they're not here yet is out of respect for Garp. And if Garp sees us here, it'll be all-out war. I wouldn't mind getting a few hits in myself but there'll be casualties if we have to fight our way out once he arrives with who knows how many warships."

Shanks closed his eyes. Benn was right, of course. They'd flipped this island upside-down three times over yet not a single hide or hair of Luffy could be found. Shanks was starting to think that that was better than the alternative; if Luffy _was_ still here, then the boy would definitely be one of those piles of human-sized corpses-turned-ash back in what was left of Foosha.

He inwardly shuddered just thinking about it.

"We can leave any funeral preparations for the Marines," Roo suggested between bites. "Luffy's granddad will handle it."

Shanks sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"I need a drink," He mumbled to no one in particular as he tilted his head back to stare up at the sky. The rain had stopped but storm clouds continued threatening to break any minute.

"Boss!"

Shanks straightened, watching as Yasopp jogged towards them at a brisk pace. "What is it this time? I'm guessing you didn't find him."

That was the expected answer every time one of his crewmates flagged him down.

Yasopp's mouth twisted into a bleak line as he shook his head. "No, no sign of him. But there are five warships heading this way from the west, half an hour away. What do we do? Stay and fight? Or leave? They haven't seen our ship yet."

Shanks wavered for several seconds. On one hand, he wanted to stay and search the island some more, and at least give a decent burial for Makino and the mayor. On the other hand, if Luffy was still alive, the kid wasn't on Dawn Island, and there was no point looking any further. And getting into a fight with an emotional Garp was not something he was looking forward to. Shanks might be a Yonko but the vice-admiral wasn't hailed as a hero for nothing. He was certain that his crew would be able to get away, but not completely unscathed.

"We're leaving," Shanks announced, pushing himself to his feet. "Gather the men; we set sail in twenty minutes."

Roo and Yasopp both answered in the affirmative before racing off in different directions. Benn lingered and slanted a questioning glance in Ace's direction. "What are we going to do with him?"

Shanks frowned, and then rounded the table and lifted the young pirate out of his chair, carefully slinging him over one shoulder. "We take him with us. Go look for a boat. Ace should have at least that if he managed to sail back."

Benn nodded curtly and headed off back towards the nearest shore.

Shanks glanced down at the snoozing teen as he made his way back to his ship. If he was right, then he figured that it would be a pretty bad idea for Ace to still be here when the island was swarmed with Marines. The kid could get a message to Garp later telling the man that he was alive. For now, they had to leave.

Ten minutes later, standing on the gangplank leading up to his ship, Shanks paused to look out over the ocean. He could almost see that Sea King rear its head on that fateful day, see Luffy floundering in the water and very nearly drowning, see himself rushing to the boy's rescue. He hadn't hesitated when he'd dived in to save the little brat, and even immediately after losing his left arm, his _sword_ arm, he had had no regrets. Luffy had been safe; that had been all that mattered.

Shanks turned away, throat tightening even as he moved on, placing Ace down in an empty bunk inside one of the sleeping quarters before returning outside.

They had only interacted with Luffy for a year and three months, really not that long when it came down to it. But Luffy had always had that bizarre charisma that drew people to him like moths to a flame. The kid hadn't been able to fight or swim. He'd been all talk, and he cried more easily than most children Shanks had come across in his life. And yet, Luffy had reminded him so much of Roger, and even at that young an age, when the boy had declared that he would surpass Shanks and his crew one day, that he would become _Pirate King_ one day, in that single moment, Shanks had believed him with every fibre of his being.

To have Luffy's life cut short before the boy had even had time to begin living his dream was unthinkable. It was just wrong.

A babble of voices, still somewhat subdued, made Shanks turn. His crew piled onboard, some looking mildly haggard and everyone looking gloomy.

And as much as Shanks would like to join them in their sullen despondency, he was still captain and it was his job to kick his men's asses in gear.

"Alright, guys!" He barked out, startling more than a few. Well, Shanks _had_ been rather quiet for several days now. "Stop looking like the world's coming to an end! It's Luffy, you know; Luffy! That little brat's got nine lives! We didn't find him here so he must've escaped! For now, we'll get outta here before the Navy descends on us. Then we'll make some enquiries in some other places. The world's a big place; Luffy's out there somewhere!"

A ragged cheer answered him as his crew scattered to get to their stations, and if the atmosphere didn't lift completely, at least nobody looked too disheartened anymore.

"You won't wear it?" Benn stepped up beside him on the quarter deck, both leaning against the smooth wooden railing.

Shanks wordlessly drew out the straw hat. He hadn't once put it on his head ever since he had retrieved it from the floor of Party's Bar. It didn't feel right. He shouldn't even _have_ the hat with him right now; Luffy was supposed to return it to him one day.

"No," He decided, absently brushing the jagged gap that the knife had left in the hat's center. "I'll have it fixed, and then put it away. When we find Luffy, I'll give it back to him, and then, when he becomes Pirate King, he can give it back to me."

Neither of them voiced the likelihood of Luffy being dead already. Shanks merely summoned a wide grin as he glanced at his first mate. "We'll find him. Luffy hasn't achieved his dream yet; he won't die before he does. He carries the Will of D. He won't go down that easily."

Shanks paused, and his grin widened. "And when we find him again, we'll throw a party for him of course! I'm sure he'll have gotten stronger! At the very least, he'll be stronger than the brat who couldn't stay away from a glass of orange juice and eats 'on credit'! Dahahahaha!"

His laughter alone seemed to lighten the mood on the ship, so Shanks strove for the pool of good cheer inside him, pushing aside the near-overwhelming worry sitting heavy in his gut.

He could live his life being an optimist or a pessimist. Being an optimist was infinitely better, especially where Luffy was concerned.

**7.**

After Ace had gotten through another one-sided shouting match with Shanks (_You should've kicked me awake! I was going to look some more! Who cares about a few Marines?!_), he had cooled down long enough to admit, grudgingly and to himself, that Shanks had made the right call. If Luffy was alive, then he wasn't on that island, and the last thing Ace needed was to be detained by some Marine numbskulls.

That didn't mean Ace couldn't vent his frustrations on the red-haired captain though. He needed someone to yell at, and Shanks always waited patiently for him to lose his steam (which was kinda annoying but the Yonko could just as easily kick his ass for mouthing off to him so Ace would take what he could get).

Ace requested for him and his sailboat to be dropped off at the nearest island. He'd reluctantly thanked them for their semi-hospitality (Shanks, the bastard, had, to Ace's embarrassment, asked him why he had keeled over just like that in the middle of conversation; Ace had revealed his narcolepsy, much to the Yonko's amusement), secured a promise from Shanks himself that the Red Hair Pirates would continue keeping an eye out for Luffy, and then rented a room in the nearest inn before curling up in bed, trying not to bawl his eyes out again as he considered his options.

He had to continue looking for Luffy, but he also knew Luffy well enough to realize that his brother would be angry and disappointed with him if he found out that Ace had put aside his own dreams just to spend every waking moment searching for him.

So maybe he could do both? Now that some of the irrational frantic anxiety had ebbed, Ace could think a little more clearly. First and foremost, Luffy was a survivor. You couldn't grow up with Garp as your grandfather, bandits as your adopted caretakers, a crime-filled city as your neighbour, and a dangerous forest as your playground, and not be one. If Luffy had managed to escape, then there was no doubt that his brother was still alive.

On the downside, if Luffy had been _abducted_... Well that was something Ace didn't even want to think about. You didn't get to become a Yonko without acquiring your own fair share of enemies along the way, and Shanks had even admitted to not having the faintest clue of who could've attacked Foosha. Pirates, Marines, and even bounty hunters would have Shanks on their hit lists; Ace had no leads on that front.

So the only real option left to him was to continue on his journey as a pirate. Obviously, he'd scour all the islands in East Blue as he went along, but finding a crew and travelling to the Grand Line would also ensure that Ace would be visiting new places along the way. Luffy could be in any of those places.

It all came down to luck because whoever had razed half of Dawn Island to the ground evidently knew what they'd been doing and had left no trail to follow. All Ace could do now was keep an ear out for any rumours of Luffy, and hope to bump into his little brother somewhere on the seas.

It was a plan, but not much of one, and Ace had never felt more useless in his entire life.

**8.**

"Sir? Are we staying for another day?"

Garp stirred and looked up from Makino's recently dug grave. "What? No. Prepare to leave in an hour."

The officer saluted, still looking concerned but hurrying away to comply with his orders.

Garp heaved a sigh, placing the last bouquet of flowers he had bought at the foot of Makino's tombstone before turning away.

What a disaster. The citizens in Goa had wasted no time complaining about some notorious pirates ransacking their city, yet from what Garp had seen, nothing had been stolen or even destroyed. He knew Red-Hair would never allow it.

He also knew that the search that Garp had ordered his own men on would return empty-handed. If Red-Hair had already come and gone, then it meant that Luffy had not been found.

He'd scoured the coast, just to see if the Red Hair Pirates might still be within cannon distance, but the only thing Garp had turned up with was a note pinned to the end of one of the harbour posts, a cryptic '_The other one is fine.'_ written in messy chicken-scratch and signed with a small picture of the Red Hair Pirates' Jolly Roger.

So at least Ace had made it out alive, though how that was possible was something Garp wasn't certain of. His best guess was that Ace hadn't even been on the island when all this had taken place. The boy was seventeen this year, old enough to strike out on his own, so it wouldn't surprise Garp if Ace had already left, no doubt to start his life as a pirate, and then had rushed back home when he'd gotten the news.

Garp mentally scoffed. Figured it would be the adopted brother who instantly dropped everything and came back instead of the good-for-nothing father who hadn't laid eyes on his only son since said son had been born.

Exhaling forcefully, he glanced around him to where thick trees should've been. He'd made sure that the bandits were given a proper burial as well; it was the least he could do.

He'd been here for five days. Neither he nor his men had found anything that might point to a perpetrator. Whoever had done this was long gone, which meant that he didn't even have anything to give to Sengoku so that the man might allow him to set out on a hunt by himself.

"Garp-san," Kuzan cut into his thoughts, waving him over to the half-destroyed tree fort, the one built after the first fort that Ace and Sabo had built which had been fried during a thunderstorm, that Garp had once been shown around by a proud Ace and an even prouder Luffy. The memory made his eyes sting.

"What exactly is this?"

Garp snorted the moment he saw what Kuzan had found in a niche that had saved its treasures from the worst of the damage that had gouged the earth. The ice-wielder raised an eyebrow. "Ah, don't worry about that. Luffy and his... friends liked to raid Goa from time to time. I think that's some of the things they've stolen and haven't sold back to the nobles yet. Wahahahaha!"

His laughter tapered off when he suddenly found tears rolling down his face even as he stared down at the trinkets and jewelry that his stupid, thieving grandsons had amassed over the years.

_It was a mistake raising them as brothers,_ Garp thought harshly, because this was Luffy, and Luffy had always, always looked up to Ace, from the instant they had met, even before Ace had accepted his little brother, and Luffy had learned his never-back-down attitude from Ace. Luffy had been stubborn before meeting his adopted brother; he had been downright immovable afterwards. Once his mind had been made up, like becoming Pirate King, not even Garp's Fist of Love, which had once been able to make Luffy concede defeat at least temporarily, had been able to make the brat yield.

And if some bastard had come in killing everybody in sight, Garp would bet his entire retirement pension that Luffy had gone to confront them instead of running away like any sane person would do.

"I'm sure he's still out there somewhere," Kuzan offered somewhat awkwardly from beside him.

Garp had to stifle a chuckle as he pressed a hand against his eyes. Kuzan had always admired him for some reason, ever since he had been Garp's own subordinate (_You turned down another promotion, Garp-chuujou? That's really something cool._), and even now, the admiral showed an unnecessary deference to Garp that always had Sakazuki sniffing in disgust.

Kuzan had never been one for comforting people with words that couldn't be proven, had never been one for comforting people _period_, usually preferring to stay on the sidelines and observe, so Garp appreciated the gesture, no matter how clumsy.

"Yeah, he's a fighter, that brat," Garp agreed jovially, wiping the last of his impromptu tears away.

He was silent for a moment, studying the glittering spoils inside the recess, and then, bending down, he began emptying his pockets, removing all the beli he had and replacing the valuables with his money instead.

"Garp-san?"

"Just in case he comes back," Garp explained as he dumped a many wads of bills as he had into the niche. He'd run down to the ship later to get more. "If Luffy needs money, he would have to sell his booty first. He'd have an easier time getting by if he already has money on hand."

Kuzan hummed his comprehension, and Garp didn't mind having the admiral behind him as he dumped every last note and coin into the hollowed-out space, but he did blink in surprise when the younger man crouched down beside him and began emptying _his_ pockets as well.

"Kuzan-" Garp started, only to be cut off by a lazy shrug.

"Maa, they pay me a ridiculous amount anyway for sitting behind a desk," Kuzan intoned easily, fishing out an actual wallet – unlike Garp – as he pulled out all the beli he had on him. "Besides, I owe you one, remember? We'll consider this... a quarter of my debt paid."

Garp stared for a second and then burst out laughing again, much more genuine this time. "You've still got that cheek, Kuzan!"

Kuzan quirked a wry smile but said nothing more as they filled the recess with beli.

It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things but it was all Garp could do right now, and that would have to be enough.

**8.**

"Dragon-san, have you seen the news? Half of Dawn Island in East Blue has been destroyed for no reason. Do you think it's the work of pirates or something else? ...Dragon-san?"

"..."

"Er... I'll just leave the paper here then, Dragon-san."

"..."

Alone in the room, Dragon remained standing on his balcony, gaze focused in the direction of East Blue.

There was nothing he could do. Either Luffy was dead or he wasn't. If he wasn't, then there would be enough people looking for him as it was. It was better for Dragon to stay away. His own father might punch him if he showed his face only now.

There was nothing he could do.

**9.**

He had to get away. He couldn't live like this forever. He still had a promise to keep. He still had a dream to fulfill.

From out of sight, the echo of a gong resounded, and the steel gate locking him in slowly swung open.

He darted out immediately and ran for the nearest cover. The last time he had waited, he'd almost been impaled when an enemy with some sort of porcupine Devil Fruit power had ran his cage through.

He drew in a ragged breath, coughing a bit as he dove behind an overhang made of rock. Today's arena was filled with smoke; he'd have to be careful not to breathe too much.

He stiffened, and then rolled out of the way before lashing out with one arm, extending it as fast as he could before slamming it straight into the gut of some guy with demented eyes and a battle axe in hand, forcing himself to crush the ribcage under his fist.

He didn't want to hurt anybody, but this was the only way to survive each run. That was the rule – be the last one left standing or you won't ever stand again.

Somewhere above him, the jeering cries of the betting audience filled his ears, muffled and unclear but audible.

He hated it. He hated them all.

But his first priority was still freedom, and if that meant entertaining the crowd until he could find a way out, if that meant being the strongest and most ruthless so he'd live to see another day, then so be it.

After all, he had to get away. He couldn't live like this forever. He still had a promise to keep. He still had a dream to fulfill.

**10.**

**[Three Years Later]**

"I'm Luffy. I'm looking for a crew to travel to the Grand Line with me. You look strong. Wanna be my first mate?"

* * *

**Please leave a review on your way out.**


End file.
